VOX AC15C1 Opamp Bypass Mod

Completed amps from Fender, Orange, Hiwatt, Vox, etc.

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inkomodo.dragon
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VOX AC15C1 Opamp Bypass Mod

Post by inkomodo.dragon » Sat Sep 15, 2012 11:24 am

As promised here is the info on how to bypass the op amps on the signal chain. The mixing of the channels is now passive so the settings of the unused channel will interact with the one being used. This effect is more noticeable when using the Normal channel. The values I've chosen are taken directly from the 1970's Dallas version of the AC30 Treble Boost circuit. I've also added a little mod for the first preamp stage that you can do if you feel like it.

Keep in mind that after you perform this mod Reverb will not work, so if you are OK with that keep reading.

Here's a picture of the main board and the location of the mods
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OP-AMP BYPASS MOD
  • Replace C32 with 47n but don't solder both legs
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  • Lift only one leg of R22 & R23
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  • Replace C19 with a 220k resistor
    Solder a wire from R23's free pin to the 'flying' leg of C32
Image
  • Solder a 220k resistor between R22's and R23's free pins
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I couldn't find a neater way of doing it but I'm happy with the results. The signal is pretty strong at that point so you can use normal (unshielded) wire but if you want to be extra careful you can use shielded wire. Just remember to ground the shield only once to avoid a ground loop. A good place to do so would be the grounded leg of VR5.


NORMAL CHANNEL MOD
  • Jump R1
    Remove C4
    Replace R5 & R6 with 220k resistors
    Change C5 to 47n
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Having op-amps in the signal chain forced Vox to reduce the preamp gain in order to keep them from clipping. They solved that using 100k plate resistors on both input triodes. So if you perform the op-amp bypass mod it's a good idea to raise the values of R5 and R6 to squeeze a bit more drive from your preamp into the PI. By removing the treble bleeding cap (C4) you also get the 'original' response out of the Normal Channel volume pot.

brunomariano
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Re: VOX AC15C1 Opamp Bypass Mod

Post by brunomariano » Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:45 am

And If I don't bypass the opamps, but change plate resistor to 220k? the op-amps will actualy clip?

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inkomodo.dragon
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Re: VOX AC15C1 Opamp Bypass Mod

Post by inkomodo.dragon » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:44 am

Just by jumping R1 the opamps start to clip with the Normal channel's volume on 7. I didn't try swapping plate resistors before performing the opamp bypass so i couldn't tell but I bet they will.

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